Evil Angel
by Ora Leigh
Summary: "I am everything and nothing at once. I am life and I am death, the hero and the murderer. The one who is cursed in one breath and praised with the next. I am the dark one who brings light to the lost, the corrupt one who offers salvation. You despise me, but without me there would exist a void you could never fill. I am Medea, the Evil Angel, and my reign begins today."
1. Chapter 1

**Full summary: Two years after the incident with Winters, the turtles' lives have returned to normal, or at least their version of it. However, life for them was never meant to be easy for long. A new threat arises from a ancient race of beings, led by a creature known to humans only through myth. The threat of its conquest is very real, and the turtles are left trying to stop the demise of mankind, while trying to maintain their own humanity at the same time. **

**I own nothing. Not the cover image, not the movies, not the comics, not the cartoons, or anything else except for the OC's in the story. **

_I am not the first,_

_Nor surely the last to tell,_

_Strange stories like this,_

_About the evil angels._

**_Ora Leigh_**

Mikey cautiously peeked around the corner; the dim light was a mixed blessing, hiding not only him but the target as well. The light at the end of the hall indicated where his opponent laid in wait, scheming his next diabolical plot.

Silently, he advanced until he was just outside the door frame. From here he could listen to the ongoing conversation.

"Tonight? Yes, of course. In fact, this should make the entire situation so much easier."

Suspicious indeed, the orange clad turtle thought.

"No, it won't be a problem at all. The four of them have no idea about your plan. Hmm? Very well. I shall see you soon."

Panic set in when he heard the phone being turned off, followed by unsteady footsteps towards his direction. Thankfully, all those years of intense training enabled him to disappear into the shadows instantly.

He turned, and, just as he had planned, ran smack into a large immoveable object that seemed to have materialized behind him.

"Boo!"

Mikey's reaction was not an impressive feat to behold; with a shriek he attempted to turn and flee midair, resulting in him slamming into another person. He fell face first into the ground, nearly bringing Splinter down with him.

While Raph was busy bent over laughing, his father sighed and looked down at his youngest son. "Michelangelo, you know how I feel about you listening in on my phone calls."

Mikey leaped to his feet, his injuries forgotten. "The urgency of the situation demanded immediate action, sensei. Risks had to be taken, rules had to be broken."

"Oh, and what was so urgent that it required you to spy on me?"

"Donnie said you told him not to order pizza tonight!" He exclaimed, genuine panic evident on his face. "It's Thursday, the one day of the week we absolutely-positively-without a doubt always order pizza! We haven't not ordered it on Thursday in years!"

"What about last week?" His brother broke in. "We didn' have it then."

Mikey didn't miss a beat, "No, you and Leo didn't. Donnie and I went and got some when we were supposed to be out on patrol."

"Is that so?" Mikey flinched, realizing his mistake. "At any rate, my son, tonight April has invited us to eat dinner in her home. I do not think it will harm you to eat a real meal for a change."

"Yeah, we're startin' to worry you've forgotten how to use a fork, Mikey." Raph tossed over his shoulder as he walked away. "Well, you guys have fun tryin' ta teach him how to eat at a table again."

"Raphael, I except you to be present as well."

The red banded turtle stopped in his tracks just before he could escape, cursing audibly. If he hadn't known better, he would have sworn that his master had paused intentionally to make him think he was home free.

* * *

A few hours later they were all climbing into the apartment via the window. April greeted them happily, looking a little flustered. The brothers chalked it up to having not felt well for the past few days and the housekeeping having been left up to Casey. The last time they had seen her, she had thrown up promptly after eating breakfast, and declared afterwards all she wanted to do was sleep.

"Hope you guys are hungry. We ordered takeout from this great restaurant a couple of blocks from here."

"Yeah, it's pretty good for a Greek joint. Usually I don't go for that stuff." Casey added from his spot leaning against the counters.

"I told you, genius, it's not Greek. The place is Persian."

"Whatever, I still don't see the difference." This caused April to launch into a familiar rant about the differences between the two cuisines. Even two years after the incidence with Winters, they seemed incapable of even preparing a meal without screaming at each other. The thing was, they actually seemed to do so with affection, if it were possible to find such an emotion amongst the insults and raised voices.

Finally, after her rant was over, they all sat down to eat. Donnie seemed genially interested in the dishes, while Mikey poked at something that looked suspiciously liked dead purple alien skin, even after April's repeated assurance that the eggplant was harmless.

Throughout the whole meal Casey and April both seem a little nervous, though they never stopped smiling at each other. After everyone had eaten a fair amount, April spoke up.

"I hope you guys enjoyed dinner. Casey and I wanted it to be a little more special than usual, because we have some important news."

"Important enough that pizza had to be sacrificed?" Mikey made no effort to lower his voice, and Splinter made no move to discipline his brother when all three reached over to smack him on the back of his head.

"I think so," April said, not bothered by his remark. "The thing is, we finally figured out why I've been feeling so lousy lately."

While the rest of the family seemed to be catching on, Mikey simply tilted his head to the side. "You've been infected with a previously undiscovered space parasite and get to be a part of a scientific investigation of its origins?"

Now it was Splinter who corrected Mikey, not even looking up from his food as his cane made contact with his skull.

"Well, when you think about it, he's not that far off…." Casey pondered, finally getting on April's last nerve.

"Can't you morons keep your traps shut long enough for me to tell you the wonderful news about how I'm pregnant?!" She snapped, punctuating her remark by slamming her fist on the table.

For a few beats, no one spoke, blinked, or even breathed. The silence was broken by Mikey choking on the water he had been drinking, which snapped everyone else out of their confusion. With a shout Raph leaped out his chair to slap Casey on his back. Donnie got up to hug April and tell her congratulations, laughing the whole time. Leo and Splinter hung back with huge smiles on their faces, while Mikey recovered and rushed forward to crush April in his signature embrace.

The rest of the evening was filled with celebration, laughter, and, to Mikey's complete jubilation, cake. When the time came to depart, they each took turns hugging April one last time, who looked tired but happy. Upon returning to the lair, each brother retired to their activities, with Mikey claiming the couch.

Before Leo could lecture him about binging on Sci-Fi marathons again, an amber alert flashed on the screen, showing a picture of a missing girl from Spanish Harlem. She had been missing since that morning, having apparently been taken from her bed that night. Judging by the picture, the girl couldn't have been older than 12.

"How horrible." Splinter remarked, having been observing from the shadows. "There truly is nothing worse for a parent than to face losing a child."

"Yeah," Mikey replied gloomily before changing the channel. As sad as it was, it wasn't anything new. People went missing everyday in the city, including children.

* * *

Somewhere far on the other side of the city, a small figure sat crying in an abandoned building. Another being approached her, stooping to embrace the weeping child.

"Shhhh, it's alright." It whispered soothingly. "I'm here, I'll always be here. No one will hurt you now."

The girl's tears slowed for a moment, and she looked into the creature's face. "Just like you promised? You don't care what's happening to me?"

A smile crept onto the other's face, "Of course not. I understand more than anyone what you're going through. Don't worry, I'm not going to abandon you, not like everyone else. Do you understand?"

The child paused for a moment, before settling into her arms. With a sniffle, she replied. "Yes, I do, Medea."

**A/N: Ok, so I've been sitting on this idea for ages, and finally gotten around to writing it. Thanks to Lone Warrior2 was all their input on my ideas. Please leave me your thoughts, be they good, bad, or neutral!**


	2. Chapter 2-Tooth Faeries

**I own nothing, except the OC's mentioned so far.**

A month had passed since that night when April and Casey announced they were expecting their first child. Life went on as normal for the turtles, a steady routine that was comforting in its predictability. For normal people, predictability was rarely seen as an enjoyable part of life; for them, it was always welcomed, given the insane situations they had been dragged into in the past.

That night they sat on a rooftop, preparing for their regular patrol. The past winter had been colder than usual, and they were eager to get moving so as to stay warm.

"You guys have room for one more?" Casey approached from the shadows, swinging a baseball bat casually.

"What's up Pops? How come you're not staying home with April tonight?" Mikey asked as he balanced atop a gargoyle.

"Well, we talked it over, and decided she could use some girl time with her friends tonight."

Raph snorted. "Ya got kicked out again, didn' ya?"

With a groan Casey shrugged his shoulders. "This time it was cuz I didn't put the damned remote back on the entertainment center, and she had ta look for it. Said if I didn't start puttin' it back where it goes, she was gonna find a new place ta hide it."

Though they were thrilled that April was pregnant, her mood swings were starting to ramp up more than ever. The week before, when Raph had come to retrieve Casey, she had chased the unfortunate turtle from the apartment with a broom for drinking the last can of her favorite soda.

They set out, the fearless leader himself taking the lead. It wasn't long before they happened upon a group of purple dragons looking like they were attempting to break into the back door of a business.

"They look like a buncha kids." Casey said, eyeing their clumsy and noisy movement. He was right; none of them looked like they were old enough to drive, which probably meant that this was some sort initiation into the gang.

"What's the matter Case? Fatherhood makin' ya soft already?" Raph brandished his sais, already picking out of the largest member apparently standing guard. Or at least, that's what he assumed he was doing. The way he looked, Raph would have had to literally fall on top of him before he noticed their presence.

"Stop them, but don't rough them up too much." Leo said, and though this was meant for everyone he looked at one brother in particular. This earned him a grunt in return, though he was unsure if this was in cooperation or derision of his orders.

They jumped into the alley, disarming them before they ever really knew what happened. One girl managed to hold on to her weapon though, and swung the tired iron at Mikey's head.

"Woah, watch it. You almost hit me!" He yelped, dodging her next blow.

"That's the point, dumb ass!" She snarled, and lunged forward on more time. She over extended herself however, and with one quick blow he tore the tire iron from her hands. The girl wasted no time in fleeing, knocking over a stack of crates in the process to slow Mikey's pursuit. It didn't stop him, but it gave her enough time to lose him in the cramped alley.

"Shh! Listen." Leo stopped him from following her. They could hear voices coming from inside the building and they were getting closer. The commotion the girl in particular had caused had woken up the occupants, which meant that they were forced to retreat, leaving her unconscious companions behind.

Watching from the rooftops, they saw the whole family come streaming outside. The father and what looked like his eldest son held baseball bats, while his wife carried what appeared to be a large meat cleaver. Several others hung back, gawking at the scene before them. One of them, a short brown headed girl, strained to see over her brother's shoulders, announcing loudly that she couldn't see anything.

"It's like a circus down there. You'd almost think they were enjoying this." Donnie remarked after the mother raised her voice loudly, shouting at the rest of her family in some unfamiliar language. With groans of protest many of the younger children eventually accompanied her inside, and it wasn't long before the cops arrived on the scene. At that point there was still a lot of shouting, gesturing, and overall chaos, to the point that several neighbors began to come out to investigate as well.

After they were certain the family was safe from any further trouble and that this scene was going to carry on for some time, they prepared to leave. However, their stealthy departure was temporarily thwarted when Mikey, in all his grace, tripped on a broken pipe and went tumbling over the edge of the roof. He managed to right himself midair, and landed quietly on the building's fire escape.

"Ok, I give that a 4 for execution, but a 10 for the save!" He whispered loudly, flashing a thumbs up towards his brothers. Donnie started motioning vigorously for him to be quiet, and for a minute the meaning was lost on the younger sibling. Turning, his heart stopped as he realized why he was so freaked out. The youngest child of the family had his face pressed firmly against the window, his mouth gaping slightly as he looked at the stranger.

"EEP!" Mikey squealed, promptly vacating the premises. Just before he was out of earshot, he could have sworn he heard the kid frantically calling out, "Alex, Alex, come look! Come look at the tooth fairy! You never told me it was a giant green alien!"

The rest of the night had passed uneventfully, and before long they retired back to their respective homes. The next day Casey and April ventured out to her new favorite restaurant, the Persian one they had ordered from the night they announced her pregnancy. The place was busy when they entered, so they decided to simply order their food to go. Casey was in the middle of recounting what had taken place the night before when their food arrived via a familiar face. He recognized her as the girl screaming at her brothers to move so she could get a better look at the would-be burglars.

"Here ya go, Ms. April. I had them put extra eggplant in the Mosama Bademjan, hope ya don't mind."

April smiled, "Not at all, Alex. I'm beginning to think I come here too often, if you know me that well already. You guys seem abnormally busy for this time of day."

"Yeah, tell me about it. Half these people aren't really even customers, just nosy family and neighbors hanging around since we almost got robbed last night." She leaned against the counter, adjusting the baseball cap she was using to keep her thick hair contained.

"Is everyone alright?"

"Oh yeah. Figures, the first time something interesting happens around here that isn't caused by one of my stupid cousins, and they're all passed out by the time we get outside. We never did find out what happened; police said they're not giving them a story that makes any sense. Can't tell if someone stopped 'em before they could get in, of if they were just drunks who got bored and fell asleep half way through."

Casey, never one to handle pressure of this nature very well, laughed a little harder than he needed to at her awful joke. Before Alex could go any further with her story, one of her brothers poked his head out from behind the kitchen door and told her she had another delivery to make. She said her goodbyes, before disappearing into the frenzy that was her family's kitchen.

"Hey," April pulled him aside as they were walking home. "What was that about back there? You looked uncomfortable."

"Nothing big babe, I just realized the place we found those purple dragons was actually outside their restaurant. Just caught me a little off guard, that's all."

"I don't know what disturbs me more: that realizing this caught you off guard, or that you never even knew where you were in the first place." Now they had made it back to the apartment, and she had plopped down on the couch to eat her food. She paused mid-bite, considering something seriously.

"You don't suppose there was a reason they were there, do you?"

He thought about it for a second, then shrugged it off. "No, not really. Like I said, it looked like some sort of initiation gig. Probably no real reason why the goons chose that place to begin with."

"Still, it worries me. They're such nice people, and it's so much worse with a young kid like little Misha living above the restaurant." Getting up, she walked over to him and laid her head against his chest. "Do me a favor, ok? Go by there tonight and just check up on the place, just to be sure. I know it's probably silly, but I'll keep worrying about it otherwise."

He smiled, embracing her gently. "Yeah, ok. I'll swing by there later with the guys and check it out. I mean, if this keeps happening, they might close down the place and move. Then where would ya go ta get all your weird eggplant stuff?"

She grinned, bouncing back to her spot on the couch. "That reminds me! While you're out, pick me up some more soda. You're stupid friends found my stash again."

* * *

"Remind me again why we have ta be here?" Raph was less than thrilled camping outside the restaurant, and not shy about sharing it.

"Because it was your dumbass that drank the last bit of her soda again, so you're gonna park it until I can report everything's alright. Hey, where's Mike?"

The youngest turtle, also bored with his latest mission, had snuck away to perch atop a different fire escape. Down below, he could hear the dialogue to his favorite show drifting out of the back door to the kitchen.

"Alexandra, are you watching television again?" A woman's voice, probably her mother's, interrupted the show. He leaned forward more, trying to catch the words. "You're supposed to be finishing your chores!"

"I am, Ma!" The girl shouted back. One thing was for sure, they were not a quiet family. Suddenly, she appeared outside, carrying a bag of trash. The light from the kitchen brightened the ally, including his hiding place. To fix this, he had snuck behind the dumpster, using the shadows to conceal himself while being close enough to listen to the tv. She paused just before reaching the dumpster, frowning slightly. She shrugged, and tossed the trash into it, turning to go back inside. Mikey strained to see around the doorway, just barely catching a glimpse of the tiny television sitting on the counter.

"Alex?" This time it was a quieter voice that called the girl. He saw the same small boy standing at the door, dressed in his pajamas and carrying a stuffed animal.

"What are you doing out of bed, Misha?" His sister asked, picking him up. Before he could be taken to back inside, he peered around her shoulder, looking intently into the dark.

"I saw the tooth fairy again! I wanted to come say hello to him."

"Silly. The tooth fairy only comes when ya loose a tooth. Have ya managed to knock another one out so soon?"

"You also told me the tooth fairy was a tiny lady with wings that leaves you money. I saw him last night, Alex! He was big and green, and he stopped the bad men. And sometime before I woke up, he even left me money too!"

She stopped, looking amazed at his statements. "Misha, maybe Momma's right, and I need to quit letting ya watch all those shows with me. I think they're starting to give ya freaky dreams, little guy."

He frowned, trying to wiggle free of her grasp. "Nuh uh! You're just sayin' that 'cause you're a grownup, and you're not allowed to believe that stuff anymore!"

Another colorful fight ensued, loud enough that Mikey could even hear them after the door was closed. He chuckled to himself; they had been called many things over the years, but giant green tooth faeries? That was a first.

"Hey knucklehead, what're ya doin'?"

Mikey jumped straight into the air, whipping out his nun-chucks and narrowly missing Raph's head. After he realized it was only his brother, he sighed deeply. "Gee Raph, you gotta quit doing that. One of these days you're going to catch one of these in the eye, and then you'll have to walk around with an eye-patch. Not very dignified for a super hero tooth fairy."

Raph's eyebrow twitched slightly, but he refrained from acting on his urge to beat his brother senseless. Or ask him what the hell that last part meant.

"Come on. Bad enough I gotta freeze out here, not to mention havin' ta find your butt hindin' behind a dumpster. It's not like ya don't smell bad enough already."

Before Mikey could retaliate, something further down the alley caught his eye. It was past where the purple dragon had run the night before, and was almost invisible in the dark. Moving forward, he stooped to examine it more closely.

"Hey, did ya not here me? I don't feel like spendin' any more time down here, Mike. Let's go, before someone sees ya."

"Raph," Mikey motioned him over, pointing to the object on the ground. When he got closer, he realized that it was a long, dark feather. Several others were littered around, though they seemed to be the only ones.

He looked at his brother. "So what? Ain't ya ever seen a feather before? Come on already."

Without saying anything, Mikey picked it up and help it close to his face. The feather seemed oddly strange to Raph, standing stiff and straight up as Mikey twirled it in his fingers. Without warning, he flicked his wrist and sent it flying towards the brick wall across from them. There was a slight clang, and for a moment neither said anything. It had become buried deep within the bricks, the remaining portion of it sticking straight out.

"What the hell are these?" Raph gingerly touched the edges of it; they were sharper than some of their own weapons.

"I think we need to show the others." Mikey said, carefully picking another up. "Maybe there was something weird going on here after all."

**Wound up getting chapter two finished way faster than I anticipated. As always, review people! Advice and critiques welcomed.**


	3. Chapter 3-Spreading Wings

**I own nothing except the OC's in this story.**

"Beautiful night." Medea mused to herself, closing her eyes and breathing deeply. She always enjoyed the night with all its coldness and silence.

Suddenly, a loud noise below broke her concentration. With a snarl she turned and peered down below her perch. A loud fight had broken out between a man and what appeared to be his girlfriend. She was screaming and crying, striking him with her bag in an attempt to get away. This only seemed to infuriate him further, as he struck back both physically and verbally.

A low growl rose beside Medea. Red eyes gleamed brightly as the smaller creature bared its fangs down at the abusive display.

"Such a poor girl." Medea observed calmly, tapping one finger against the brick ledge she was leaned on. Now he was dragging her by her hair deeper into the alley. "Maria, don't you think she could use your help?"

Maria squirmed next to her, her eyes glowing even brighter now. "You mean all by myself? Really?"

"I see no reason why not. We certainly can't just stand by and do nothing." She stretched slowly, fanning her wings out. The young woman screamed again, louder this time. "Go now."

Medea turned her attention back to the night sky. The stars all seemed to be watching them, like spectators enjoying an exciting part of a play. A cruel, twisted production that she was stuck playing lead in.

"And Maria," She added before her protégée could leap from her perch. "Bring me his head."

* * *

"I've never seen anything like this." Donnie examined one of the strange feathers under his microscope back in the lair. So far all they had managed to learn about them was that they were sharp and damn near indestructible. Nothing, from their own weapons to explosives, had been able to so much as scratch them. Now Donnie was sitting alone is his lab, muttering to himself as he tried dousing one with various chemicals to see if they had any effect on it.

His brothers hung back, unwilling to get too close to him when he got like this. Mikey in particular had already managed to mildly hurt himself igniting a bomb, and had no desire to "help" any more at the moment.

"You know," He said, pouring cold water over his burned hand, "what if those are just some new weapons the Purple Dragons are carrying around?"

"These seem way out of their league. Plus, the Purple Dragons don't usually go for stuff like this. They like the blunt, cavemen type weapons." Leo pointed out.

"Or," Raph offered from his spot on the couch, "Maybe it's just another crazy ass object floating around this crazy ass city. Not like weird stuff doesn't pop up all the time. Hell, just flip through the news and ya find dozens of things weirder than some freaky feathers."

To prove his point, he flipped to the news channels. His plan backfired and proved it all too well, when a somber news reporter was recounting how a mutilated body had been discovered not far from the home where a month ago a young girl had gone missing. The victim's horrified girlfriend was still in complete shock and was unable to describe what had happened.

"Way to be depressing Raph." Mikey said, wrapping his hand. "Hey, has anyone checked on Donny recently?"

Before anyone could answer, a loud boom resonated from inside the genius's lab. The topic of the strange feathers was forgotten for the time being as they went to rescue their brother from his own curiosity.

* * *

Alex wiped the sweat from her brow; this had been the first warm day they'd had in months. She didn't know if the weather had any actual effects on people's appetites, but today it sure seemed like it did. She had gone straight to her family's restaurant after school, and had found the place to be even more chaotic than usual. Her eldest brother, working the kitchen that day, had a stack of deliveries ready for her the moment she walked in, and her work load hadn't lightened since then.

She stood on the sidewalk with her bike for a moment to check her next delivery. Smiling, she recognized it as the home of one of favorite new customers: Ms. April, who was currently expecting her first child. In addition to be extremely sweet, she always tipped amazingly when Alex delivered to her apartment. Plus, she almost always ordered one of her all-time favorite dishes. Anyone who had great taste like that had to be an ok person in her book.

It was starting to get late, and this looked like it would be her last delivery for a while. She peddled a little bit faster, hoping that if she could finish and get back to the restaurant before too long she would be able to actually sit down and eat herself. Working for her family's business meant she spent most of her day around delicious food, but rarely had enough time to do more than sneak a quick bite between jobs.

* * *

"Michelangelo," Splinter placed his hand on his youngest son's shoulder, interrupting the video games currently occupying his attention. "I was hoping you could take this to Ms. O'Neil." In his hands he held a small box of what looked like tea.

"Um," Michelangelo quickly glanced around the room. All of his brothers were otherwise occupied: Raph simply wasn't there, Leo was training, and Donnie was still mildly obsessing over the strange feathers. In addition to that, he had no plausible excuse not to, and the look in his father's eyes suggested that this was not really a question, more a politely worded command.

"Sure, sensei." He said, flashing a wide grin. If he hurried, he would be back in time for a marathon of the original Twilight Zone, something he had been looking forward to for the past week.

"I just got off the phone with Casey. He said that they were not expecting anyone, so he would just leave the window open for you."

* * *

"Hey Alex! Wow, you almost beat me here." April smiled, not only because she could smell the delicious food coming from inside the paper bag, but also because she truly liked the girl herself. She had called in the order while she was at the store, and had been hoping she wouldn't have to wait long for her dinner. In addition to being punctual with her deliveries, Alex was a humorous, loud person, and April always liked chatting with her. It didn't hurt that because she ordered from the restaurant so frequently now they usually included extra portions in her favorite eggplant stew, which happened to be Alex's preferred dish as well.

"What's up, Ms. O'Neil? How ya feeling today?" Alex got off her bike and jogged up the stairs.

"Pretty good, actually. Still having some trouble with morning sickness, though."

"Huh. Ma swears that mint in your iced tea in the morning helps with the nausea some."

"Uh oh." April rummaged around in her purse. "Alex, I don't have enough cash to pay you. Would you mind coming upstairs to the apartment?"

"Not at all. Here, give me your groceries, I can carry those, too." Alex, in addition to being genially helpful, was not above going the extra mile if it helped her with tips.

* * *

"Hey, Casey, you here?" Mikey poked his head through the window cautiously. Though it was starting to get dark outside, it wasn't so ate that he felt comfortable just hanging around outside.

"Hey man! That April's tea?" Casey appeared from the kitchen holding a can of soda that looked suspiously like April's favorite brand .

"This? Nah, just thought I'd drop in with a random box of dried leaves."

"Yeah, funny. Hand 'em over, smart ass."

"Hey, Casey?"

"What?"

"Is that April's soda?"

"…Mikey, don't you dare tell her! Besides, we stocked up the other day, so it's not like she's gonna miss one."

"So…then it's not like she'd miss two, right?"

"You are unbelievable, you know that?"

"I'm offended, Case! Now I think I might need two to heal my wounded pride."

"How's about a knuckle sandwich? Would _that_ do the trick?"

* * *

"Hey, Alex? You wouldn't happen to be thirsty would you? Casey and I found a ton of soda on sale the other day, so I've got plenty."

"Really? I wouldn't say no to one."

They walked into the apartment and turned to enter the kitchen. Just as they were coming around the corner they could hear the two voices arguing.

"Look, I told ya: a soda and a slice of pizza, ya mangy turtle!"

"A soda and one slice of old pizza? That's the price of keeping a secret from the mother of your child? I should charge you an extra soda and an entire pizza! But I'm a reasonable man, Casey, so just fork over the two sodas and I'll be on my way-"

Before any of them reacted, April and Alex found themselves face to face with Casey and Mikey. For a moment, no one talked, no one blinked, no one even breathed while the situation just sunk in.

"What. The. HELL?!" Alex finally managed to force out, her voice growing louder and louder with each word.

"Alex, we can explain-" April began.

"Yeah, totally." Mikey held his hands up in an effort to seem harmless.

It had the opposite effect. With a shriek of utter terror, Alex flung one of the bags of groceries at him and proceeded to turn and flee. However, in her panic, her shoulder caught the corner of the doorway, sending her hurling into the opposite wall. Forgetting for a moment that he was the reason she was freaking out, Mikey rushed passed April and Casey to where she laid groaning.

"Woah, you alright?"

Alex tried to sit up, but she was still seeing stars from where she hit her head.

"Here, let me help you." He bent over, trying to steady her some. "There, that better?"

For a moment she simply looked at him, blinking a couple of times trying to clear her head. Her eyes widened all of a sudden, and with another scream she swung at him, punching him squarely in the face. While he was stunned she scrambled to her feet and tried to flee. April was quicker, and managed to catch her as she made it into the hall.

"Alex, please, you've got to calm down."

"Like hell I will! Let me go!" She struggled against April, but couldn't bring herself to strike her.

"Please, I'm begging you. Just let us explain."

"Seriously, I'm not gonna hurt you. Not since you totally disabled me with that right hook of yours." Mike still sat on the floor, gingerly rubbing the place Alex had punch. "You've got a mean swing, girl!"

Alex stopped for a moment, overwhelmed by the scene before her. Suddenly, a neighbor stepped out into the hallway.

"Is everything alright?" She asked, eyeing April.

For the rest of her life, Alex never knew what came over her at that moment. Maybe it was the look of utter desperation on April's face, or the recent blow to the head. Whatever the reason, she responded after a few beats. With a nervous laugh she said, "Yeah, just a misunderstanding, ma'am. Thought I saw this gigantic roach in there. I've got this thing about bugs; they make me go absolutely nuts. Turns out it was just an old wrapper, so false alarm. Oops."

With one more glance back, the unconvinced neighbor went back into her apartment.

"Alex-"

"Let. Go."

"Please, just give us a chance."

"Not gonna happen."

"I swear on my unborn child Alex, we're not going to hurt you. Please."

"But-"

"_Please_."

Alex stared at her for a moment. Slowly, she nodded her head. Letting go of her arm, April walked back into the apartment, Alex walking behind her. She closed the door, but refused to enter any further, leaning against it with her hand on the nob.

"You don't want to sit down?"

"Nope."

"Can I at least get off the ground?"

"Nope." Now she looked down at Mikey with this disturbingly calm expression. "Start talking people."

April, Casey, and Mikey looked at each other, completely at a loss at where they should begin. As usual, April took the lead.

"Ok, so I know this will be hard to believe…"

* * *

Alex walked slowly into her room, more tired than she could remember having been in a long time.

"_So, you're not an alien?"_

"_Uh, no! Way cooler than that. Weren't you listening? I'm a freakin' mutant ninja turtle! One of a kind, too."_

"_What do you mean? You've got three brothers, idiot."_

"_Yeah, but none of them can compare to the sheer awesomeness that is me!"_

"_Guys, focus. Alex, I know this is all hard to swallow, but please, you have to trust us. Which kind of means-"_

"_It means not telling anyone you're friends with a giant talking turtle."_

"…_Basically…"_

"_Uh huh. Great."_

She threw herself face first on her bed, trying to sort out what she had been told that night. Everything was beyond insane, and she had no trouble expressing this to them. Repeatedly. With firm instructions that she would prefer them to never bring this up again. As in, Mikey was a very nice giant talking turtle. But he was a talking turtle, none the less. Which meant that if they wanted take out, she would generously bring it to the front steps on their building, but not an inch further. Which, in her opinion, was handling the entire situation phenomenally.

As bad as it was, one thought came to her mind as she laid there. _"From now on, they better tip me damn well every time they so much as pass me on the street."_

* * *

"Hey, what's up with your face?" Donnie, still smelling like smoke, glanced at Mikey from the kitchen table. His brother was currently at the fridge piling ice into a hand towel to hold against his bruised cheek.

"I fell."

"…On your face?"

"Yup."

"You do realize that is one of the most cliché, obvious lies of all times?"

"Yup. You can either accept it, or listen to a story that will not only take forever, but also distract you from your newest project. Your choice."

Donnie paused for a moment. "Just tell me, is everything alright?"

"Trust me, everything's fine."

"It should worry me that you're telling me to trust you. But ok then."

Brotherly love at its finest.

* * *

"You did wonderful, Maria."

The girl beamed, eyes growing wide at the praise. "Really, Medea? You're not just saying that?"

"Of course not." She smiled from her spot above her. They were back at their hideout, perched in the rafters of the old building. Medea cocked her head to one side. "In fact, you have exceeded all my expectations. You're training has progressed much quicker than I had anticipated. So much, that I think we can continue to the next part of our plans. Helena, Ariel."

With a flutter of wings, two other beings emerged from the shadows and landed across from Medea. Their bright red eyes gleamed in the moonlight, standing out from their grey faces.

"I think it's time, my dears, that you two spread your wings and begin your jobs in full."

"When do we begin, Medea?" One of them asked, fanning her dark wings out.

She smiled. "Immediately. I want my daughters brought to me as soon as possible"

**A/N**

**Alright people. Three chapters and not one review? Damn, is it that bad? In all seriousness, leave me your thoughts so I can tell if the story is decent or if it needs to be improved in any way.**


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